REFILING: LEAD: Bush labels N. Korea, Iran as 'axis of evil' again

WASHINGTON, March 10 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING INFO)

U.S. President George W. Bush revived his famous description of Iran and North Korea on Friday as part of ''an axis of evil'' as they cause the same security threat because of their lack of transparency and pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.

''I would say they are equal, Iran and North Korea, as for a security threat,'' Bush said when asked whether Iran, North Korea or China pose the most serious security threat after making a speech at the National Newspaper Association Government Affairs Conference.

Bush said China is a ''strategic partner when it comes to trade, and stressed the al-Qaida terrorist network presents ''the biggest threat to American security short-term.''

It was the first time for Bush to use the phrase ''axis of evil'' during his second term. He first introduced the concept in his State of the Union address in 2002 to describe the security threat posed by Iran, North Korea and Iraq.

''I said in an early speech there was an axis of evil, and it included Iran and North Korea...relatively early in my presidency,'' Bush said. ''I did that because I'm concerned about totalitarian governments that are not transparent...that have stated their intentions to develop nuclear weapons.''

The two countries continue to post an ''equal'' threat ''because any time there is a nontransparent regime without a free press to hold people to account, it creates unpredictability in the world,'' he said.

Bush said he sees ''an issue of grave national security concern'' in Iran, referring to comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calling for the destruction of Israel and suspicions that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons.

But Bush said that he remains committed to resolving problems related to Iran and North Korea through diplomacy.

Referring to the efforts of Britain, France, Germany and Russia in negotiating with Iran, he said, ''The world is speaking with one voice when it comes to their capacity to develop a nuclear weapon.''

The U.N. Security Council is set to address the Iranian nuclear issue next week, paving the way for possible sanctions.

As for North Korea, Bush stressed the importance of diplomacy and international cooperation in confronting North Korea's nuclear ambitions, citing the six-party process now under way as a change in strategy following failed attempts at negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang.

''The issue is one in which we tried to alter the relationship with the Koreans to be more than just the voice of the United States saying to the Koreans the same thing,'' he said. ''So we now got China, South Korea, Russia, Japan and the United States involved in what's called the six-party talks.''

The six parties produced a statement of principles in September but the talks have been stalled since November, with North Korea refusing to return to the table unless the United States lifts financial sanctions it imposed on a Macao-based bank tied to alleged money-laundering for the North.

The United States briefed North Korean officials on the sanctions in New York on Tuesday, but Pyongyang has yet to say whether it will return to the talks.

On China, Bush pointed to the large U.S. trade deficit with the country and repeated his call on Beijing to open markets and protect intellectual property rights.

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